Specialist, Accounts Payable - Rockville, MD

The Specialist, Accounts Payable in FINRA's Finance department is responsible for the accurate and timely processing, tracking, and management of supplier invoices, expense items and payment activities for FINRA. This position works closely and interacts frequently with internal ...

Job description

The Specialist, Accounts Payable in FINRA's Finance department is responsible for the accurate and timely processing, tracking, and management of supplier invoices, expense items and payment activities for FINRA. This position works closely and interacts frequently with internal stakeholders and external parties, taking primary responsibility for assigned invoice processing workflows, supplier relationships, and process improvement initiatives.

Essential Job Functions:

Invoice Processing & Reconciliation

• Complete end-to-end invoice processing through automated systems and ERP platforms (Workday), ensuring accurate GL coding, streamlined approval routing, and timely payment.
• Manage workflow queues and prioritize high-volume transactions based on payment terms, cash flow considerations, and early payment discount opportunities while ensuring compliance with organizational policies, internal controls, and regulatory requirements.
• Serves as a point of contact for accounts payable inquiries from internal and external stakeholders, delivering timely and professional responses.
• Proactively identify, recommend, and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency, reduce cycle times, strengthen controls, and improve vendor satisfaction through continuous improvement initiatives, system upgrades, and automation projects.
• Perform invoice reconciliation activities, including three-way matching of purchase orders, receipts, and invoices.
• Identify and resolve discrepancies, payment blocks, and system exceptions by partnering with procurement, finance, and other stakeholders to prevent payment delays and ensure SLAs are consistently met or exceeded.

Vendor & Expense Management

• Contribute to vendor master data management, including vendor setup, maintenance, updates, and tax compliance validation (W-9/W-8).
• Audit and approve employee expense reports through designated expense management systems, ensuring policy compliance, appropriate documentation, and accuracy while providing guidance on policy interpretation and best practices.

Compliance, Audit Support & Financial Reporting

• Maintain comprehensive audit trails and documentation for all accounts payable transactions, ensuring compliance with internal controls and retention policies.
• Contribute to month-end and year-end close processes, including accrual preparation, account reconciliations, aging analysis, and variance reporting, supporting accurate financial statement reporting and audit requests.

Additional Responsibilities

• Demonstration of FINRA's values.
• Collaboration, both in-person and virtually, in furtherance of FINRA's mission of investor protection and market integrity.

Education/Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business, or Finance, or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Minimum of four (4) years of accounts payable experience in an automated environment with exposure to various ERP financial systems.
• Experience with purchase order processing.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook).
• Experience with business process-driven ERP systems (Workday experience preferred).
• Familiarity with automation technologies, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), or similar automated AP systems is highly desirable.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Excellent customer service and communication skills with ability to respond professionally to inquiries.
• Ability to multitask effectively and shift priorities based on business urgency.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and take ownership of assigned responsibilities.

Work Conditions:

• Hybrid work environment, with defined in-person presence requirements.
• Fast-paced environment with high volume of invoice processing and supplier interactions.

For work that is performed in CO, FL, TX, IL, PA, MA, MD, VA, Washington, DC, NY and NJ, please refer to the chart below for the salary range for the corresponding location. FINRA complies with all state and local pay transparency laws and regulations requiring the disclosure of salary ranges for the position. In addition to location, actual compensation is based on various factors, including but not limited to, the candidate's skill set, level of experience, education, and market considerations.

CO/FL/TX: Minimum Hourly Rate $29.48, Maximum Hourly Rate $52.26

IL/PA: Minimum Hourly Rate $32.60, Maximum Hourly Rate $57.46

MA/MD/VA/Washington, DC: Minimum Hourly Rate $33.90, Maximum Hourly Rate $60.00

NY/NJ: Minimum Hourly Rate $33.90, Maximum Hourly Rate $62.70

LI-Hybrid

To be considered for this position, please submit an application. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

The information provided above has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work of the position. It is not a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required.

Please note: If the "Apply Now" button on a job board posting does not take you directly to the FINRA Careers site, enter into your browser to reach our site directly.

Employees may be eligible for a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Non-exempt employees are also eligible for overtime pay in accordance with federal, state, or local law. As part of its dedication to employee wellness, FINRA provides comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance. Additional insurance includes basic life, accidental death and dismemberment, supplemental life, spouse/domestic partner and dependent life, and spouse/domestic partner and dependent accidental death and dismemberment, short- and long-term disability, long-term care, business travel accident, disability and legal. FINRA offers immediate participation and vesting in a 401(k) plan with company match and eligibility for participation in an additional FINRA-funded retirement contribution, tuition reimbursement, commuter benefits, and other benefits that support employee wellness, such as adoption assistance, backup family care, surrogacy benefits, employee assistance, and wellness programs.

Time Off and Paid Leave*

FINRA encourages its employees to focus on their health and wellness in many ways, including through a generous time-off program of 15 days of paid time off, 5 personal days and 9 sick days, unless otherwise required by law (all pro-rated in the first year). Additionally, we are proud to support our communities by providing two volunteer service days (based on full-time schedule). Other paid leave includes military leave, jury duty leave, bereavement leave, voting and election official leave for federal, state or local primary and general elections, care of a family member leave (available after 90 days of employment); and childbirth and parental leave (available after 90 days of employment). Full-time employees receive nine paid holidays.

• Based on full-time schedule

Important Information

FINRA's Code of Conduct imposes restrictions on employees' investments and requires financial disclosures that are uniquely related to our role as a securities regulator. FINRA employees are required to disclose to FINRA all brokerage accounts that they maintain, and those in which they control trading or have a financial interest (including any trust account of which they are a trustee or beneficiary and all accounts of a spouse, domestic partner or minor child who lives with the employee) and to authorize their broker-dealers to provide FINRA with duplicate statements for all of those accounts. All of those accounts are subject to the Code's investment and securities account restrictions, and new employees must comply with those investment restrictions—including disposing of any security issued by a company on FINRA's Prohibited Company List or obtaining a written waiver from their Executive Vice President—by the date they begin employment with FINRA. Employees may only maintain securities accounts that must be disclosed to FINRA at one or more securities firms that provide an electronic feed (e-feed) of data to FINRA, and must move securities accounts from other securities firms to a firm that provides an e-feed within three months of beginning employment.

As standard practice, employees must also execute FINRA's Employee Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement without qualification or modification and comply with the company's policy on nepotism.

Search Firm Representatives

Please be advised that FINRA is not seeking assistance or accepting unsolicited resumes from search firms for this employment opportunity. Regardless of past practice, a valid written agreement and task order must be in place before any resumes are submitted to FINRA. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at FINRA without a valid written agreement and task order in place will be deemed the sole property of FINRA and no fee will be paid in the event that person is hired by FINRA.

FINRA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to any legally protected category, including race, color, age, national origin, ethnicity, religion, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, sex, or any other status or classification protected by state or local law.

FINRA strives to make our career site accessible to all users. If you need a disability-related accommodation for completing the application process, please contact FINRA's Employee Relations team at or by email at

. Please note that this process is exclusively for inquiries regarding accommodations in the application process.

FINRA abides by the requirements of 41 CFR a). This regulation prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals on the basis of disability and requires affirmative action by covered prime contractors and subcontractors to employ and advance in employment qualified individuals with disabilities.

FINRA abides by the requirements of 41 CFR a). This regulation prohibits discrimination against qualified protected veterans and requires affirmative action by covered prime contractors and subcontractors to employ and advance in employment qualified protected veterans.